Cushions



Dec. 31, 1963 w. M. EMERY 3,115,647

cusazous Filed March a, 1962 United States Patent 3,115,647 CUSHIONS William M. Emery, New Providence, N.J., assignor to Better Sleep Mfg. Co., Berkeley Heights, NJ., 2 corporation of New Jersey Filed Mar. 5, 1962, Ser. No. 177,367 3 Claims. (Cl. -341) My present invention refers to a unique cushion of minimum size designed to raise the head and shoulders in reasonable comfort and away from the pillow or mattress with a minimum contact with the scalp.

The primary purpose of my invention is to provide a resilient head support of adjustable height Which will suf ficiently raise the head and particularly the scalp away from a conventional pillow or mattress so as not to disturb the coiifure and to allow the use of curlers without the discomfort of sleeping on said curlers. A second objcct is to provide a cushion suitable to support a coiifured head primarily from the back of the neck and base of the skull behind the ears in such comfort as to allow restful sleep without disturbing the coiffure or when curlers are in place, A third object is to provide a cushion which will likewise support the head of a side sleeper primarily from the side of the face. A final object is to provide a cushion of adjustable height, compactly foldable for travel and one so inexpensive as to be acceptable to teen agers. These and other objects will be obvious from the following specifications and claims as follows:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of my cushion after heat sealing but before inflation;

P16. 2 is a similar View after inflation or filling;

FiG. 3 is a top view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side View taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a section taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a section taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a section taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 2; and

PEG. 8 shows my cushion in use.

FIG. 1 shows two identical sheets of flexible plastic, 11 and 11' superimposed and hermetically heat sealed or vulcanized around the periphery 12 in a substantially rectangular shape with rounded corners. An interior bar seal 13, substantially along the center line, divides my cushion symmetrically. The top edge of the periphery comprises two substantially semi-circular seals 15 and 15' of maximum diameter. Tangent With the outer ends of said semi-circular seals 15 and 15 are two interior bar seals 17 and 17' converging toward the center line bar seal 13. Bar seals 13, 17 and 17' terminate in tear drop islands 18, 16 and 16' respectively, spaced away from the lower periphery edge 21 Islands 16 and 16 are also spaced away from the side edges of the periphery 21 and 2 1.

This hermetically sealed cushion may be permanently filled with any liquid. gas, foam or shreaded plastic, etc., as shown in the preferred embodiment, may be inflated by mouth or deflated through any conventional valve 30.

When so inflated as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the sealing already described results in areas bounded by semicircular seals 15 and 15 becoming substantially semisphercs or hemispheres, 31 and 31', and the area bounded by bar seals 13, 17 and 17' becoming substantially cones 32 and 32' or tapered tubes with open points 33 and 33'. The area 34 confined by islands 16 and 16 and 18 and lower edge 2% become tubular and interconnects the several areas. The areas confined by the peripheral sides 2-1 and 21 and seals 17 and 17 and islands 16 and 16 become substantially cones 35 and 35 tapered oppositely to cones 31 and 3 1. Bar seals 17 creates valleys 36 and 36 and bar seal 18 creates valley 38 in one plane as it divides 32 from 32' and a valley or a crotch in a plane "ice normal thereto as it divides 31 from 31 as viewed in FIG. 3.

As point-ed out in my Patent 2,728,926, imperical observations indicate the weight supporting or lifting capacity of inflated cross sections of various sizes appear not to vary directly as the periphery or diameter of the cross section of the inflated part but geometrically as some power of the periphery or diameter of the cross section. Accordingly the supporting or lifting capacity of the total cross section areas along line 7-7 of FIG. 2 which would result in a cross section passing through the bases of cones 32 and 32' adjacent to the bases of hemispheres 31 and 3.1 would be considerably greater than the supporting or lifting capacities of the total cross section areas along line 6-6 of FIG. 2 which would result in a cross section passing through cones 35 and 35' and the smaller ends of cones 32 and 32' above islands 16, 16' and 18 although the periphery of said cross sections along line 7-7 and 6-6 are identical since periphery 12 is substantially rectangular.

Accordingly as shown in FIG. 4 my pillow is substantially wedge shaped and tapers from the thick top edge to the thinner bottom or lower edge 20 and also the load carrying capacity of the pillow decreases in the same direction but in a greater degree because the function is a geometrical one and not a straight line function. So that the base of cones 32 and 32' and hemispheres 31 and 31 are capable of carrying and supporting the concentrated load of the overhanging head, elevating the head higher than the shoulders of the sleeper which are supported more along line 5-5 and by tube 34.

Also it is worthy of note that the top of the wedge of my wedge shaped cushion is composed of the adjacent semi-spheres 31 and 31 forming a crotch or valley therebetwcen and that the center line bar seal 18 forms a valley 36 separating cones 32 and 32' thus forming crotches or valleys substantially normal to each other tending to comfortably cradle the base of the head and nape of the sleeper, and at the same time tending to maintain said head and neck in the desired position even while relaxed in sleep.

The preferred method of using my cushion for side sleeping is to place the cheek on the cushion area adjacent to line 7-7 with the nose pointing toward the lower edge 29 of the pillow, and pressing one hemisphere toward the shoulder. In this position scarcely any area of the pillow will touch the scalp and the head will be supported high enough so that the neck will be properly aligned even when side sleeping.

The height of the cushion may be varied by the amount of inflation and the cushion may be used either directly on the bed or on a pillow according to the sleeping habits of the user.

Without departing from my invention my cushion may be filled fully or partially with any resilient material, gas

or liquid, and Wherever the word fill or inflate is used the above variation should be understood. Sewing may be substituted for heat sealing. Gussets or tying membranes may also be substituted for bar seals and should be considered equivalent constructions.

Accordingly I claim:

I. A Wedge shaped cushion to elevate and position the head of a supine sleeper Without materially disturbing the coitfure, comprising two large and closely adjacent semispheres providing a crotch therebetween on the top edge of said cushion to elevate and position the base of the head of said supine sleeper, and two substantially conical converging sections of an initial diameter similar to said semi-spheres and depending therefrom with their sides closely adjacent to each other thereby providing a continuation of said crotch to support and position the neck of said sleeper but at a lesser height than the head of said supine sleeper.

2. A wedge shaped head cushion, comprising two large and closely adjacent semi-spheres providing acrotch there between on the top edge of said cushion to support and position the base of the head, two substantially conical converging sections of an initial diameter similar to said semi-spheres and depending therefrom with their sides closely adjacent to each other thereby providing a continuation of said crotch to support and position the neck but at a lesser height than the head, and means to allow the inflation and deflation of said cushion.

3. A Wedge shaped cushion having a broad surface of diminishing thickness, said cushion comprising two large and closely adjacent semi-spheres providing a crotch thcrebetween on one edge of said cushion, normal to said surface, two substantially converging and diminishing conical sections having an initial diameter similar to said semi-spheres depending therefrom, each with mutually closely adjacent sides thereby providing a continuation of said crotch along the plane of a center line of said broad surface of diminishing thickness, and means to allow the inflation and deflation of said cushion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 194,659 Emery Feb. 26, 1963 2,728,926 Emery Jan. 3, 1956 3,017,221 Emery Jan. 16, 1962 

1. A WEDGE SHAPED CUSHION TO ELEVATE AND POSITION THE HEAD OF A SUPINE SLEEPER WITHOUT MATERIALLY DISTURBING THE COIFFURE, COMPRISING TWO LARGE AND CLOSELY ADJACENT SEMISPHERES PROVIDING A CROTCH THEREBETWEEN ON THE TOP EDGE OF SAID CUSHION TO ELEVATE AND POSITION THE BASE OF THE HEAD OF SAID SUPINE SLEEPER, AND TWO SUBSTANTIALLY CONICAL CONVERGING SECTIONS OF AN INITIAL DIAMETER SIMILAR TO SAID SEMI-SPHERES AND DEPENDING THEREFROM WITH THEIR SIDES CLOSELY ADJACENT TO EACH OTHER THEREBY PROVIDING A CONTINUATION OF SAID CROTCH TO SUPPORT AND POSITION THE NECK OF SAID SLEEPER BUT AT A LESSER HEIGHT THAN THE HEAD OF SAID SUPINE SLEEPER. 